


Coming to Terms

by shipsinkandsails



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, Some humour, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-28
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-20 01:00:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3630795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipsinkandsails/pseuds/shipsinkandsails
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kya helps Korra come to terms with her feelings for Asami.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coming to Terms

“I think we’re done here for today, Korra.” Katara murmured gently, resting her hand on the exhausted Avatar’s back. 

Korra stayed silent, her forehead matted with sweat. She sat on the floor, head hanging low and panting heavily. Naga was faithfully at her side, whimpering worriedly.

The old waterbending master sighed, walked back to her chair, and sat down. “I can tell there is something bothering you. You didn’t say a word throughout the entire session. Do you want to talk about it?”

**_“No.”_**  The reply was instant, sharp, and almost bitter. Korra flinched at her own tone and turned to look at her mentor with sorrowful blue eyes, an apology stumbling past her teeth. 

“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so-” Katara simply waved it off with her hand.

“It’s alright. I know you’re frustrated and tired right now. I would actually be surprised if you had answered me politely.” She joked, and Korra forced a small smile to make it less awkward because  _spirits it was so so tempting to tell the truth_ but she couldn’t do that. Because she was scared and worried and she didn’t want one of her loved ones to hate her for having those feelings. 

Or maybe even though she was the Avatar, master of all four elements, she didn’t know whether her feelings were real or right or whether she was too broken to be loved by anyone anymore.

Especially by  _her._

‘Besides, what could Katara possibly know that could help me?’ Korra thought to herself. She pushed herself off the ground, and made her way to the chair beside the waterbending master. 

“Have some,” Katara pushed a cup of warm tea into Korra’s slightly trembling hands. “It’ll help calm you down.”

Korra reluctantly drank it, closing her eyes as the liquid did its work, clearing her head and spreading warmth throughout her entire body. “Thanks,” she said, a genuine smile gracing her lips. Katara merely nodded back, just content to appreciate the quiet atmosphere. Korra followed suit, closing her eyes and basking in the warmth that the tea provided. And for a moment, everything seemed okay.

Until Kya walked in.

“Mom, I got the things you wa-” Korra cracked open an eye to see Kya standing in the doorway, eyes wide and mouth hanging open in shock. “Oh spirits, you’ve turned Korra into another you.”

Katara rolled her eyes at the ridiculous notion.

“Gee, nice to see you too, Auntie Kya.” 

“Obviously,” Katara’s only daughter flipped her hair haughtily, reminding Korra of a certain Sato-

She shook the thought out of her head. 

_Stop it. Stop thinking about her like that. She’s only your friend. She’ll only ever like you as a friend. Don’t get your hopes up for something that will never happen._ Korra told herself.

“Honestly though, never did I think I’d live to see the day when Mom manages to somehow convince _Korra_  to actually drink tea with her.” Kya mused, winking playfully in her mother’s direction. It was Korra’s turn to roll her eyes.

“I’m not the same hot-headed seventeen-year-old I was three years ago.”

“No, now you’re a hot-headed twenty-year-old.”

Korra arched an eyebrow at the jab but couldn’t stop the grin from forming on her face.

“At least I’m only twenty.”

“Honey, age means nothing when you’ve got looks as good as mine.”

“We’ll see whether you’ll be saying that when you reach my age,” Katara quipped from the sidelines, sipping her tea innocently as Korra choked back a laugh at Kya’s gobsmacked face.

“Mom, whose side are you on?”

“The side that’s telling the truth.” Katara answered.

“Are you calling me a liar?” Kya asked defensively.

“Look in a mirror before you say anything else, and you might understand why I picked Korra instead of you.”

_“MOM!”_ Korra broke out laughing at Kya’s embarrassed whine and Katara’s cheeky grin. A glint formed in Korra’s eyes.

“Katara, are you sure you’re a waterbender? Because you  _burned_  Kya so bad, she’ll need to ask Zuko on how to get her honour back!” Korra blurted out in the heat of the moment, feeling a level of spontaneity that she hadn’t felt in a long time.

The room suddenly got really quiet really quickly.

“…Too soon?”

Katara spat out her tea, covering her mouth with one hand as she clutched her stomach with another. Laughter escaped her mouth anyway, and soon enough, all three Southern Water Tribe women were in tears.

“Korra,” Katara wheezed out. “That was Sokka-worthy. He would have been proud of you.”

Korra decided that she liked this new, rare side of Katara. It was good to hear the usual wise waterbending master laugh like a child again. It filled her with a heart-tingling sensation.

She wonders what it would be like to hear Asami laugh like that. 

“I am honoured.” 

“Let’s end it right there or else the puns will never stop.” Kya warned her jokingly. Katara chuckled before standing up.

“I guess it is the honourable thing to do, eh Korra?”

_“STOP.”_  Kya’s voice wavered.

“I think I’m going to get some rest. Too much laughter isn’t good for this old woman’s heart.” She hugged Korra and Kya and shuffled off to bed, but not before whispering something in Kya’s ear.

“Have a good rest, Katara.” Korra called out. “And thank you for the healing session!” Katara disappeared into her room, leaving Korra and Kya alone. 

A comfortable lull hung between them before Korra opened her mouth to speak.

“Thanks.” Korra said, glancing at Kya.

“For what?” Kya asked, sitting down in her mother’s seat next to the Avatar.

“Cheering me up.”

“You looked like you needed it.”

Korra stared down at her empty cup.

“Is there something you wanna get off your chest?”

The stretch of silence was almost palpable.

“Something wrong with the healing sessions?” Kya tried again.

“No, they’re fine. They’re helping me.”

“I’m just gonna take a wild guess here and go with: boy problems?”

Korra shook her head no. Kya’s eyebrow rose a few inches.

“… girl problems?”

All of Kya’s suspicions were confirmed when Korra’s head snapped back up to look at her, panic and relief and wonder and shock all reflected in eyes so blue, it sent shivers down her spine.

“What?”Korra whispered, the word sounding strangled to her own ears.

“I knew it.”

“You… knew?”

“I had my suspicions, but your reaction gave it away.”

Korra grew quiet once more, and Kya waited, allowing the Avatar to think and organise her thoughts and words.

“You know Asami, right?” Korra hesitantly began.

“The Sato heiress? CEO of Future Industries?”

“Yeah, that Asami Sato.”

“What about her?”

“We’ve been friends since I first came to Republic City. Actually, we were sort of rivals at first.”

“Over a boy?”

“It sounds really silly now, but yes, we were fighting over a boy. Then a bunch of love triangle drama stuff happened and we were cool.” She paused. Kya just sat and waited patiently. “It was after harmonic convergence when I first started having these… feelings, I guess. We started hanging out a lot-just the two of us and I guess it just happened.”

“Just like th-”

“I mean,” Korra started to babble nervously. “She’s perfect in every way because she’s pretty and smart and rich and good at everything and-and she can drive and fix anything! She practically built a sand-sailer thing when we were stranded in the desert and that was really cool but I couldn’t do anything even though I’m the avatar I was so useless and she did everything and that’s okay but I couldn’t do anything to help her-”

The tea cup fell from her hands and crashed to the ground.

“Korra, listen to me, you have to calm down. You’re starting to hyperventilate.” Kya said in a soothing tone.

Taking deep breaths, Korra calmed down and organised her thoughts again. The words floated in her head. She took another final deep breath, and opened her eyes.

Kya’s breath hitched in her throat when she saw the undeniable sincerity them.

“…But despite all that, Asami is still the most selfless person I know.” Korra confessed quietly. “She’s lost everything. Her mom died when she was little, her dad’s in jail, her company was almost ruined, I stole her boyfriend from her and even after all that, after everything she’s been through, she still wants to help me. Me, a girl who can’t even do her job as the Avatar properly. Who can’t even write back to her letters because she just doesn’t know what to say. Because she doesn’t know whether her feelings are right or wrong. Because she’s just a broken fool who can’t even heal herself.” Her eyes were downcast.

Her words turned sour and were full of self-loathing that Kya’s heart clenched at the poor girl in front of her who was scared of being loved back.

“Korra, look at me.” Kya says and Korra obeys. “Your feelings are real. They aren’t wrong. I know how you feel. I like women too.” Korra eyes widen in sheer disbelief.

“Y-You do?”

“Yes. And I can tell you there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re not broken. You’re a human being too. Never think as though you are unworthy to love someone.  _Never_. You’re Avatar Korra. And she is Asami Sato, your best friend. She will love you and stick by your side because she believes in you and what you do.”

“She’d always tell me if I did something wrong and always planned ahead. She never blindly followed my orders. She stood beside me, never behind me. She was always there for me when I needed her.” Korra reminisced, smiling fondly at the memories. “I wish I could have done the same for her.”

“You probably have to her. You just haven’t realised it yet.” Kya reassured her. Korra looked at her sadly.

“But what if these feelings aren’t real? I don’t want to ruin our friendship. What if she doesn’t feel the same way?”

Kya scoffed. “She built and dedicated a three-story statue and an entire park to you. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t do that for just anyone.”

“That’s only because I’m the Avatar.” Korra despaired. “The city probably pressured her to do it or something.”

“Really? I don’t know her very well, but ask yourself this; Is the Asami Sato you know that kind of person? From what you told me about her, she doesn’t seem so.”

Korra went quiet again.

“No, she isn’t.” She answered and Kya nodded approvingly.

“Exactly.”

“She’s written me so many letters and I never replied once. I don’t know what to tell her. I’m scared I’ll let her down.”

Katara and Aang’s only daughter kneeled down in front of Korra. 

“Trust me when I say that you won’t.”

“How do you know?” Korra mumbled brokenly.

“Because my wife told me the same thing.”

“You’re married?” 

“Yep. For close to a decade now.”

“ _Someone actually married you?_ ”

“Are you implying something?” Kya narrows her eyes threateningly.

“This is _HUGE!_ ,” Korra ignored the dangerous tone in Kya’s question. “Okay, okay wait. Let me get this straight. First, you’re married. Second, I only knew about this  _now_?” Korra glanced around. “Does Katara know? What about Bumi and Tenzin?”

“Of course they know, Korra. They’re my family.” Kya sighs.

“How did they take it? How come they never told me? Is this some huge secret?” Korra gushed, distracted from her own dilemma by the surprising and relieving news of Kya’s marriage to a woman.

_‘It’s not impossible.’_ Korra felt a burst of happiness erupt within her.

“They were cool with it. Tenzin was a little awkward around us for a while though but that’s just him being Tenzin. And no, it isn’t a secret; we just never bothered to announce it. It isn’t really a big deal actually.” 

“Wow.”

Kya laughed softly at the obvious excitement and relief on Korra’s face.

“See? You’re not alone, Korra. It’s okay to have feelings for Asami. Right now, the question isn’t whether she likes you back or not, but whether you’re stong enough to show her that she matter. That you care for her.” Kya said.

Korra looked at this woman. This one person who had helped to put her worries and fears for the past few years down in just one conversation.

She knew what she had to do.

“Thank you, Kya. I know what to do now.” She grabbed the comforting hand on her knee and squeezed it tightly, a grateful look in her eyes.

Kya squeezed back in return.

“By the way, how come I’ve never met your wife before?”

“You’d be simply blinded by our combined beauty if we were in the same room.”

“Spirits, how in the world did you get an ego that big?”

Kya raised a finger to retort but Korra stopped her with an exasperated ‘nevermind, don’t answer that’.

**Author's Note:**

> I tried my best but it really seems like a huge mess of words. I’ll hopefully write another version again. Wow, this was hard to write because I wanted to show Korra as someone who was insecure about her feelings because there was no one to help her relate before Kya. I wanted to elaborate on Kya’s wife too, but that would take another entire chapter. Also, I don’t really have a good grasp of Kya’s personality. To me, she’s playful and joking but still able to be serious when needed. Like a mix of Aang and Katara. Wow, sorry if it seems OOC. Feel free to let me know how it is. Love and hate are both welcome. Constructive criticism would also be much appreciated.
> 
> Inspired by a Tumblr post by Commandersato.


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